


unspoken promises of the soul

by sourin (orphan_account)



Category: EXO (Band), Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Bodyguard!Junmyeon, F/M, Princess!Joohyun, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-05 10:23:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20487353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/sourin
Summary: Kim Junmyeon swore he would protect Princess Joohyun with his life.Sometimes, though, he swears she will be the death of him.





	unspoken promises of the soul

**Author's Note:**

> confession: surene is lowkey one of my fav ships ever and i literally adore them so much... please dispatch drop the dating rumors alrdy .
> 
> this is just a one-shot i wanted to write. i'm absolutely enamored by the whole 'bodyguard sworn to protect royal figure and ends up falling madly in love with them' trope and it really has my heart and i wanted to write one for surene.
> 
> anyway enjoy.

If there’s one word to describe the princess, Junmyeon would say it would be _graceful._

The royal lady radiates maturity and elegance, with her mannerisms charming and finessed to sophistication. Her presence captivates any room she walked into, and she maintains a certain air to her that no one dared to disturb or disrespect. Her beauty is beyond compare as well -- with dark hair that falls in waves past her shoulders and eyes that hold the prettiest stars. 

Princess Joohyun is the ideal image of a ‘proper lady’, however Junmyeon would never say that. He knows the princess. While she may know how to hold herself with poise and grace, she is far from a meek and quiet woman. While her words might be seldom, they hold determination and power and she means them when she speaks.

That’s one of his favorite things about her, in fact.

It’s something he’s noticed the princess has sometimes been bashed for, with many of the elders in the royal family admonishing Joohyun for her ‘_undignified’ _behavior as a woman. After all, a woman in royalty is typically seen, not heard, especially when not called upon in the first place. That is something that did make the princess stick out from her other sisters, Seungwan and Yerim. The younger princesses tended to follow the status quo, however Joohyun never seemed to hesitate when something was on her mind.

Really, Junmyeon loves that about the princess. It’s one among several other small details he’s come to memorize about Joohyun since becoming her royal personal guard.

At fifteen years old, Kim Junmyeon had joined the guardsmen that protected the royal family, under the leadership of Captain Wu Yifan. It was Yifan that had scouted Junmyeon out when the guardsmen of the royal family had made a expedition to his hometown, and had been impressed by Junmyeon’s formidable skills at such a younger age. He had offered to train the younger boy personally, and it wasn’t long before Junmyeon had become a member of the guardsmen as well, leaving behind his hometown and family to travel back to the royal family’s palace to serve.

It wasn’t bad, really. Life at the palace was pleasant, and Junmyeon made great friends with several other guardsmen. The payment Junmyeon earned for his service to the guardsmen was often sent back home to his parents, who had been excited to see their son have the opportunity to achieve great things. They were not very wealthy, so a large potion of his money was sent to help support them. Sometimes the captain would even let Junmyeon take short vacations to visit his family, which Junmyeon appreciated Captain Yifan for greatly.

However, that changed when Captain Yifan was injured in battle.

The Captain had been the previous personal guard to the royal family, and during a time of political unrest, an assassination attempt was made. Yifan had ended up sacrificing his life for the royal family, and before he had passed away, he had called for Junmyeon with urgency.

“_Captain Yifan!” Junmyeon exclaimed, and something inside him started breaking. The usually exuberant and robust captain was weak in his bed, tucked away quietly in the wings of the palace’s hospital wing. The captain’s face was pale, sweat evident on his brows and cheeks. His eyes moved slowly as Junmyeon burst into the room._

_“Captain Yifan, I’m so sorry.” Junmyeon wanted to cry. “I should’ve done better, I’m sorry, I should’ve been the one to take the stab--”  
_

_“Shh, shh,” Yifan hushed the younger. “Don’t say that, Junmyeon. I knew long ago I had given my life for protecting this family. Today is the day that it is cemented.”  
_

_“No,” Junmyeon said. “No, you’re going to be okay. You’re going to live, right? Captain, you can’t leave.”  
_

_Yifan smiled weakly. Junmyeon had grown much from the fifteen year old boy he had picked up from the small village long ago -- now, at twenty-two years old, the boy has grown into a strong man, with broad shoulders and power in his stance. But now, his young pupil looked like he was a child again, his wide eyes shining brightly and soft cheeks wet with tears._

_“It’s not looking too good,” Yifan murmured. “That fucker pierced one of my lungs, and it’s getting harder to breathe each second.”  
_

_“Don’t worry,” Junmyeon said. “We caught the man, and he’s being sentenced to the palace’s dungeon as we speak! He’ll pay for what he’s done to you, Captain, I promise! And you’ll live to see it!”  
_

_Yifan wanted to laugh, but the pain in his chest burned in protest. “I’m afraid not, Junmyeon...”_

_“Don’t say that!” Junmyeon exclaimed, and fresh new tears formed in the younger’s eyes. “Who will protect the royal family if the Captain isn’t here?”  
_

_Yifan gripped the young man’s hand tightly. “That is what I called you here for, Junmyeon.”_

_For a moment, Junmyeon could only freeze, almost as if he were confused by Yifan’s words. Then, a look of horrible realization crossed the boy’s face, and he started shaking his head._

_“No, no. No, no, no, no. No, I can’t, I--”  
_

_“You’ve grown so much over these years, Junmyeon,” Yifan said. Even in his weakest moment, a look of immense pride appeared on the mentor’s face. “I’ve seen you go from an eager, determined boy to a strong, intelligent young man. I knew long ago that you would be the one to take the role of leadership when I left.”  
_

_“Yifan, please,” Junmyeon sobbed, and Yifan squeezed Junmyeon’s hand.  
_

_“You are brave, Junmyeon. I would not want anyone else to lead and protect the royal family.”  
_

_“Yifan,” Junmyeon tried again, but it’s in that moment that Yifan’s grip with Junmyeon’s hand suddenly weakens, and Yifan’s eyes start fluttering. Suddenly, it’s hard for him to keep his eyes open.  
_

_“Yifan, please, no,” Junmyeon cried. “I’m not ready, please. I need more teaching, you need to stay, please--”  
_

_“I’m so proud of you, Junmyeon.”  
_

_“Yifan!”  
_

_Yifan’s hand falls from Junmyeon’s, and the new captain of the royal guard lets out a sob._

Six years ago, Junmyeon became the captain of the royal guardsmen. Since the assassination attempt, the King became understandably paranoid, thus raising the amount of guardsmen and protection for the family. Each member of the King’s immediate royal family was assigned a personal bodyguard, to follow and be by their side practically 24/7 for their protection. 

It was under the King’s jurisdiction that the new captain of the royal guardsmen would from then on be the personal bodyguard of the eldest princess, the next heir to the throne, and the most important member of the royal family besides the King himself: Bae Joohyun.

At first, the princess was not happy with the new changes. Junmyeon understood -- the royal family had never felt particularly threatened until that point, and were quite liberal with their own personal freedom. No wonder the eldest princess, at twenty-two years old and far from feeling like she needed a babysitter, despised having to have some bodyguard follow her around 24/7. 

But Joohyun was also a smart lady, and in a time of political unrest where people were willing to try and assassinate the royal family, she knew that having Junmyeon around was probably a good idea.

At first, it was incredibly uncomfortable. Junmyeon never had really interacted much with the members of the royal family personally, so he especially was not prepared to then find himself being in Princess Joohyun’s chambers with her everyday, alone with just her half of the time, or following her around the palace as she went about her royal duties. Most of his time was spent in the corner of the room, a watchful eye on the princess and an awkward shuffle between his feet while the princess pretended he didn’t exist.

Though as time went on, both the royal guard and the princess became used to each other’s presence. He becomes used to waking up early in the morning to check up on the princess in her chambers, and staying late by her bedside to make sure she sleeps peacefully. He becomes used to the scent of the lavender body oil she uses, and the way she often mumbles to herself when she studies laws and textbooks in the palace library. He becomes used to standing by her side whenever there are royal parties or meetings and watching her converse with other members of the event, memorizing the way she smiles and the way her eyes twinkle when she laughs.

It’s how he finds himself now, during yet another one of the royal family’s lavish parties. He stands a few meters away from the princess, who is chatting happily with a couple people he recognizes from the royal court. They are hardly a threat to the royal family, they’re good friends with the King even, but Junmyeon finds himself glaring as one of the councilmen jokes with the princess. She laughs at one of his jokes, tilting her head back and her laugh reaching his ears, even in the noisy setting.

“You’re doing it again, Cap. You’re staring at her.”

Junmyeon scowls, and one of the other personal guardsmen, a young man named Kim Jongin, lets out a laugh. The tall guard, despite being three years younger than the captain at 25, practically towers over Junmyeon, and he playfully elbows his senior.

“I’m not sure how appropriate it is to be ogling the royal princess when you should be watching over her,” Jongin jokes, and Junmyeon shoots Jongin a heavy stare. It doesn’t deter the younger though, who is far used to Junmyeon’s strict and sour attitude whenever Jongin teases him about the princess.

“I’m not ogling her,” Junmyeon says, and he squares his shoulders as if to further emphasize his dedication to his job. “I’m simply keeping track of where she is.”

“Then why do you have that ugly look on your face while she’s talking to people?”

“Because I don’t trust the people she’s talking to,” Junmyeon replies, and Jongin looks back at the princess before bursting out laughing.

“Councilman Park? He’s hardly a threat at all. He’s actually a really nice guy, I heard.”

“You can never be too vigilant, Jongin,” Junmyeon chastises. 

“Sounds like someone’s just jealous.”

“I’m not jealous. Jealousy implies you already have possession over something and are worried about losing it. I have no possession over the princess.”

“So, what you’re saying is the right word is actually envious.”

Junmyeon doesn’t respond to that, deciding to just ignore Jongin. The younger seems to take that as an answer itself and cackles, letting out an ugly little laugh that Junmyeon finds himself smiling slightly at anyway.

The rest of the evening carries on smoothly and easily, the chatter of the party lighting up the room and the smell of delicious food in the air. As the hours go by deeper into the night, the guests slowly dwindle down to smaller and smaller numbers. Princess Joohyun looks to be enjoying herself, but eventually she approaches Junmyeon.

“I’m ready to retire for the night,” the princess says. Junmyeon nods, and soon he’s escorting the princess to her chambers, pointedly ignoring the wink and thumbs-up that Jongin flashes him as the two exit the party hall.

Junmyeon escorts the princess down the long hallways, taking her to her chambers. The atmosphere in her bedroom is much nicer than the party scene in the great hall, in Junmyeon’s opinion -- soft scented candles fill the air with sweetness and the candlelight sends golden streaks of light across the room. It’s peaceful, and Junmyeon stands in his normal position by the doors on guard as the princess gets ready for bed.

Something that never fails to captivate Junmyeon is watching the princess at the end of the night, when it’s been a long day and Joohyun is tired from all the conversation and buzz from earlier. He tries not to stare too hard as Joohyun undoes the tie holding her hair, the dark waves tumbling down her back, and the way she wipes the makeup from her face. Even without the cosmetics, she’s still breath-taking, Junmyeon thinks.

“Did you enjoy the party, Junmyeon?” the princess hums as she sits at her vanity, brushing her long hair. Behind her in the mirror, Junmyeon can see how awkward he looks standing at the door.

Junmyeon shrugs casually, forcing his eyes away from the sight of the princess. “It was like how all parties usually go, my princess.”

“Sometimes I find them so boring,” Joohyun agrees. “Next party, we should sneak out sometime and go somewhere else.”

“Do you not enjoy talking to all those lovely councilmen?” Junmyeon asks, but his snarkiness and sarcasm bleeds into his tone. Joohyun turns to look at the guardsman, raising her eyebrows. Her eyes are so pretty, Junmyeon thinks.

“Do you not enjoy seeing me talk to all those lovely councilmen, Junmyeon?”

Junmyeon feels heat rise in his cheeks, coughing slightly as he yet again forces his gaze away from the princess. “I- I didn’t say that. I hardly think that’s my place to say, my princess.”

“But do you not?”

When he looks back at Joohyun, he can see a knowing and playful twinkle in the princess’s eyes. Junmyeon shuffles, before replying, “Let’s just say, I’d be okay with sneaking out of a party if you’re bored, my princess. However, I don’t think that’s very appropriate.”

The princess shakes her head, going back to brushing her hair in the vanity. “Who cares what’s appropriate or not appropriate? If something feel right, why should we deny ourselves it anyway?”

Junmyeon hums, something twisting inside of him as he looks at the princess. 

“Sometimes people fear of harming those that they love if they choose to pursue what may feel so right.”

At Junmyeon’s words, Joohyun meets his eyes in the mirror. For a moment, Junmyeon is absolutely stricken by her beauty, and the way the candlelight causes the shadows of her eyelashes to send streaks down her soft cheeks. 

_God, she’s so gorgeous. She will be the death of me_. 

There’s a soft, tender look in her eyes as she responds, “I hope you know, Junmyeon, that I have full confidence that you will never let harm reach me in any way. You’ll always be here to protect me.”

Her words speak thousands of unspoken others, but Junmyeon understands. He understands as he watches the princess finish the rest of her evening routine, and he understands as he diminishes the candle flames with his fingers and helps her into bed.

He understands when he says goodnight to the princess, the smell of her and lavender filling his mind as he presses his lips to the back of her hand, soft kisses over her knuckles in an unspoken but understood promise. Darkness shrouds her face, but the twinkle in her eyes and the curve of a smile he can feel on her lips as she pulls him in for a kiss tells him that she is full of faith.

So, so full of faith in Junmyeon. He can practically feel his heart quiver with fear.

When he softly shuts the door behind him, leaving the princess to sleep, Junmyeon has to stop for a second. He leans against the wall to collect his thoughts, and to stop his heart from pounding in his chest and the smile from splitting his face in half.

Princess Joohyun really will be the death of him.

**Author's Note:**

> junmyeon rly loves irene awww
> 
> anyway, this was originally planned to jsut be a one-shot, but i mean.... i can definitely see this evolving more into a fic w/ multiple chapters.......... but i mean... only if u want to... i'd be down if ur down.. ajksakdjn
> 
> either way, please leave a review!! seriously, whether it's just feedback/criticism or just you expressing your thoughts, pls, pls pls leave a review they mean the world to me. u can let me know if i should turn this into a fic or not!!!! anyway, thank u so much for reading lov u


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